1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to exterior vehicle mirror assemblies, and more particularly, to a detent joint for large commercial vehicle mirror assemblies that involves rounded cooperating surface geometries to allow for multi-axis movement to accommodate misalignment between a mounting bracket and support arm when mounted to the vehicle, while maintaining the proper detent function to hold the mirror assembly in a desired position.
2) Description of Related Art
Exterior mirror assemblies are known to include a detent connection joint between a mounting bracket attached to the vehicle and a support arm carrying the mirror head so that the mirror can be selectively positioned and held in place. However, manufacturing variances for large exterior vehicle mirror assemblies typically result in some degree of misalignment between the two detent surfaces when mounted to the vehicle. In some cases the parts are flexible enough to accommodate slight misalignment. This, however, leads to line and point contact location that create premature wear and tear on the joint. This wear will eventually cause the detent joint to loosen over time from vibration. Eventually, the joint will no longer hold the mirror in position. In other cases, the mirror assembly system will not accommodate misalignment and results in poor or limited detent performance when mounted to the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,186,905 (Brudy) shows a truck mirror that includes a detent member with grooves and a complementary engaging member that includes spaced projections. Axial compression of a spring moves the grooves into engagement with the projections. There is no disclosure in the specification of any tolerance for misalignment in this arrangement. Movement of this detent mechanism is limited strictly to a single vertical axis.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,081,546 (Bottrill) shows a vehicle exterior mirror that includes detent formations that includes a compression spring. Misalignment is prevented by allowing a wobble in the washer connector as described in the specification at col. 3, lines 10-20. There is no disclosure of cooperating rounded surfaces on the detent mechanism to allow for multi-axis movement.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,137,715 (Schuurmans et al.) shows an external vehicle mirror that includes cooperating engaging members to form a detent arrangement, and a spring adapted to hold the detent arrangement engaged. There is no disclosure of cooperating rounded surfaces on the detent mechanism to accommodate misalignment and allow for multi-axis movement.
None of the cited patents or known prior art teach a detent joint having a rounded, and preferably partial spherical segment, surface to allow for multi-axis rotation while maintaining proper detent resistance. Thus, there is a need for improvement in the art to provide a detent joint for exterior mirror assemblies that maintains a proper detent connection while preventing uneven wear and accommodating misalignment.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a detent connection that will forgive misalignment between a mounting bracket and support arm.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a detent geometry in which the engaging components are rounded in a generally spherical segment shape to allow for multi-axis movement.